SPFL chief meets MPS probing gambling
A SCOTTISH football chief will be at the centre of talks today with a leading member of a Westminster group investigating the game’s gambling problem.
Ronnie Cowan, vice-chairman of the
All Party Parliamentary Group on Gamblingrelated Harm, is expected to tell Neil Doncaster, chief executive of the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL), that he should guard against a looming “gambling and mental health crisis” in the sport.
Mr Cowan, SNP MP for Inverclyde, believes the SPFL is responsible for protecting young supporters from the “normalisation” of betting in football.
Brian Rice, the Hamilton Academical manager, revealed last month he had reported his gambling addiction to the Scottish Football Association and had breached the governing body’s gambling rules in each of the past five seasons.
Betting companies are among the biggest sponsors and advertisers in football, despite the lives of thousands of fans also being impacted.
Mr Cowan said: “It’s clear the behaviour of the bookmakers pursuing vulnerable gamblers is prevalent throughout football.
“The normalisation of gambling through the sponsorship of football leagues, cups and logos on shirts is evidence of such behaviour.
“I will be asking the chief executive of the SPFL if he considers young boys and girls playing football and the effect gambling advertising has on them.”
A spokesman for the SPFL said: “Neil Doncaster will meet Ronnie Cowan and looks forward to an open and productive discussion.”
Born To Manifest Tramway, Glasgow
Mary Brennan
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AT first, the lone figure standing upstage is shrouded in darkness. The gradual light reveals a man with his back to us – and though we can now discern his powerful build, he is anonymous, faceless to us.
His body, however, is talking rapidly and vividly through movement.
His arms and hands are constantly on the defensive, warding off unseen threats and blows – the voices barking out “hands up” on Michael “Mikey J” Asante’s turbulent soundscore suggest police involvement, but the hostility could come from other fists, or even guns. Gangs? Vigilantes? Racists?
The shadows seem full of menace...
For choreographer/ dancer Joseph Toonga